The Tipperary man who swapped his whiteboard for an easel on American island

A Tipperary man who confessed to being “completely burned out” from his working life as a teacher has carved out a new career for himself as a successful artist on an island off the north west coast of the United States, more than 7,000 kilometres (over 4,000 miles) from his home town of Cahir.

Cormac McCarthy lives with his wife Sarah and daughters Ella Niamh, Saoirse and Caoimhe on Whidbey Island off the coast of Seattle, Washington State.

He is now a full-time professional fine artist who has established his own studio and gallery, and who sells his art internationally to countries including Portugal, Taiwan and Ireland, as well as throughout North America.

The son of Lucy and Donal McCarthy from Lisava, Cahir, Cormac is a past pupil of Clonmel High School. As a primary teacher he taught for fifteen years in schools from Tipperary to the San Francisco Bay area of California, and eventually Whidbey Island, where he has lived for the past ten years, having moved to the US 17 years ago.

“I loved teaching and being with my students,” he says. “I worked very hard to be the best teacher I could be. But inside, I always felt something was missing. After 15 years of teaching, I realised that I was completely burned out and that my health was being impacted.

“I had worked very hard for my students, doing everything I could to bring rich and engaging lessons to them. I had worked in up to ten different schools during my adventure to the States, teaching in many different grades and school systems. One day, I simply realised that my fire and passion to teach was gone. This was a hard pill to swallow, but I refused to become that jaded teacher walking through the doors of a classroom every day and not caring about the education of my students”.

Following the birth of their second daughter Saoirse, Cormac and Sarah decided that he would temporarily quit his job as a teacher so that he could stay at home to care for Saoirse. During this time he began teaching as a private tutor, which allowed him the flexibility he needed, and he also started painting on canvases as a hobby.

Above: Cormac McCarthy, his wife Sarah and their daughters Ella Niamh, Saoirse and Caoimhe 

“I met an incredibly talented local artist named Louie Rochon. I talked to Louie about my deep love for painting, as I had expressed curiosity about his work. He was a ‘real artist’ who painted as an actual career.

“Then the moment that changed my life forever happened: Louie invited me to visit his studio on Whidbey Island, not far from my home. When I arrived, Louie handed me a paintbrush. He had set up a corner of his studio for me, with an easel bearing a large blank canvas, and brushes and paints at the ready. He invited me to come and paint with him in his studio. I could not believe my good fortune, to be handed this incredible opportunity.

“Louie mentored me through the process of working a canvas, as well as working through my brain and the hurdles my brain creates. He guided me in my growth and exploration as an artist and a person. He also gave me opportunities to display my work in his studio at his public events.

“With Louie’s support and mentorship, I started asking myself what I would need to do to make my passion for art my career. It seemed to me that this was an insurmountable mountain to climb and the success rate was extremely low. But with Louie’s support, I decided that what I truly wanted was to dig in and to try to become one of the few to actually make it in the art business”.

He had to leave the Rochon Fine Art studio when the Covid pandemic struck. However, this turned out to be a blessing in disguise.

“This forced me out of the space that Louie had created, which was comfortable and easy, but was not truly my own. I was forced to stand on my own two feet. I started working out of a room in my home, which I converted to a makeshift studio space.

“With my painting materials in my home, I could paint in the early mornings and into the late nights. I began waking up every day at 4am and painting in the silence of the early morning, while my children and wife were still asleep. I began to pump paintings out at a faster pace. These early mornings gave me an immense sense of power. I began reciting to myself, as something of a mantra, ‘I’m going to win, because I’m awake and painting while all the other artists are in their beds sleeping’”.

Slowly, during this early Covid period, his work started to sell. He created a social media presence on Facebook and Instagram and began to foster a small following.

Above: Cormac at work in his studio, The Cormac McCarthy Fine Art Studio and Gallery, on Whidbey Island, Washington State 

“Then in February 2021 I took a huge leap of faith. I signed a lease on a studio space, about ten minutes from my home. I did not truly know whether or not I was going to be able to pay my next month’s rent. Fortunately, my dreams came true.

“At my grand opening event I sold everything I had available to sell, which was ten paintings. This single opening event put enough into my savings account to pay my rent for the next nine months.

“This was a wild beginning and another ‘God shot,’ giving me clear hope that I was on the right path”.

The Cormac McCarthy Fine Art Studio and Gallery, located on Whidbey Island, Washington was born, and he hasn’t looked back since. While he has never again recreated what he calls “that initial grand opening miracle,” business is still booming.

“I create art that I love, and my pieces are often selling as fast as I create them. My work has travelled internationally. So far I have pieces living in Portugal, Taiwan and Ireland, as well as in many states in America. I have been featured in various newspapers and magazines as a rising artist. I was even featured in an article in a Taiwanese art magazine, ARTCO (All Holdings) in 2022.

“I have shown my work in large international galleries, like the Yuan Ru Gallery in Bellevue, Washington, as well as in small public spaces, like my favourite local sandwich shop.

“I am still just delighted that my art gets to be displayed anywhere. With the steadfast support of my wife Sarah, there is a bright road ahead”.

The couple’s daughters are Irish citizens, and Cormac adds “we’re proud to be flying the Irish flag all the way over here on Whidbey, off the coast of Seattle”.

Cormac can be contacted at cormacgold@gmail.com

His website is https://www.cormacpaints.art.